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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. date — the fruit
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mug — a face
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. field — farmland
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. field — for sport
  20. spring — the season
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. spring — of water

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