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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. staff — employees
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. game — wild animals
  14. tear — to rip
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. staff — employees
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — from crying

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