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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stand — to bear
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. ground — a position
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bound — certain
  15. pop — music
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bound — tied together
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pop — soda

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