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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. spell — letters
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tear — from crying
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pop — soda
  8. spell — a short time
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pop — music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. degree — an amount
  17. tear — from crying
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. spell — magic
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pop — to visit
  24. prune — to trim

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