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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. present — a gift
  5. spell — letters
  6. prune — to trim
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bound — certain
  9. shower — rain
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pop — music
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pop — soda
  18. bound — obliged
  19. present — there
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. present — the time now
  23. pop — to visit
  24. leaves — to go away

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