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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. can — a tin
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bat — the animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. content — happy
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. prune — to trim
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. content — the amount
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. prune — the fruit

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