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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cold — not warm
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cold — an illness
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wake — a trail
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. lie — to recline
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com