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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. dip — to sink
  6. fine — all right
  7. prune — to trim
  8. land — a country
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wax — to grow
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. land — ground
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — to come down
  24. plane — an aircraft

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