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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. net — for catching
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. date — the fruit
  14. net — after costs
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. net — in sport
  24. date — on the calendar

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