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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wax — to grow
  4. prune — to trim
  5. snap — to click
  6. row — to paddle
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. prune — to trim
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — a company
  12. shower — rain
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. can — a tin
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. can — a tin
  22. row — a line
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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