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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. prune — to trim
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. deal — to handle
  12. cue — a hint
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pitch — completely
  17. cue — a signal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. row — a line
  21. cue — for pool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wax — for sculpting

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