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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tear — from crying
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. tear — to rip
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. current — electric
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bulb — for light
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. tear — from crying
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mate — a partner

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