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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. shower — rain
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rule — a law
  8. wax — to grow
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rush — hurry
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rule — government
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ball — a dance
  15. shower — to wash
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cap — a lid
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rush — a thrill

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