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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mug — a cup
  6. shower — rain
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wax — to grow
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. shower — to wash
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a face
  24. leaves — lets stay

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