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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. track — a path
  7. wound — an injury
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wax — to grow
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mate — a partner
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. prune — to trim
  20. track — a song
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. club — for dancing
  24. leaves — of a tree

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