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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. staff — a stick
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. staff — employees
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. spring — a coil
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. prune — to trim
  20. staff — employees
  21. rock — music
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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