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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. prune — to trim
  3. scale — in music
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. kick — in football
  9. race — a contest
  10. wax — to grow
  11. scale — size or range
  12. band — a music group
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. race — the arms race
  16. prune — to trim
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. race — humankind
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. band — a ring
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. scale — for weighing

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