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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wax — to grow
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. ball — a great time
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. club — a group
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. club — for golf
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. club — for dancing
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pitch — completely
  23. ball — a dance
  24. temple — side of the head

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