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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. prune — to trim
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. dip — to sink
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chip — to eat
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rock — a stone
  13. stem — to come from
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. squash — to crush
  16. chip — for betting
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rock — music
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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