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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. row — to paddle
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rush — hurry
  12. sharp — clever
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. swing — to play on
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. swing — in golf
  18. row — a line
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. swing — music

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