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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fine — all right
  3. field — a subject
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. squash — to crush
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. field — farmland
  12. bass — the fish
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. squash — the sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. field — for sport
  24. bass — low music

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