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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 116 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. land — ground
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. hand — help
  7. prune — to trim
  8. land — a country
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rash — a series
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. saw — the tool
  17. land — to come down
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rest — a break
  24. rash — hasty

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