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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bound — certain
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. sharp — clever
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mark — a trace
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wax — to grow
  15. swing — music
  16. bound — tied together
  17. firm — a company
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. firm — decided
  24. swing — in golf

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