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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mug — a cup
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pop — soda
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — money
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. capital — a city
  12. squash — to crush
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mug — a face
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — a partner
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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