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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — a subject
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wax — to grow
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. field — farmland
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. field — for sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. roll — a cake
  24. calf — of the leg

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