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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. ground — a position
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — to grow
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. pass — a permit

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