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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. can — a tin
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. season — in sport
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bear — the animal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. can — a tin
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pit — a hole

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