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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. clip — for paper
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. clip — to cut
  10. current — happening now
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. clip — a video
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. rock — music
  17. current — of water
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a committee
  22. rock — a stone
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. current — electric

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