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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. prune — to trim
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. firm — decided
  5. file — a document
  6. prune — to trim
  7. firm — steady
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. press — to push
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. file — a line of people
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. file — a tool
  16. firm — a company
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. can — a tin
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. can — to be able to
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. can — a tin

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