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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 120 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. ball — a great time
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. ball — a dance
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. snap — to click
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. field — farmland
  18. wax — to grow
  19. prune — to trim
  20. field — for sport
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. deal — to handle
  24. field — a subject

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