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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 116 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. prune — to trim
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. scale — in music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rule — government
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rule — a law
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wax — to grow

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