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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 116 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. lie — to recline
  3. prune — to trim
  4. last — to go on
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fine — all right
  8. game — a match
  9. wax — to grow
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. prune — to trim
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. last — final
  17. dip — to sink
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. plane — a tool
  22. last — finally
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fine — high quality

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