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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 124 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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. saw — the tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. clip — a video
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pop — to visit
  21. clip — to cut
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wax — to grow

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