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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bulb — for light
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bulb — for light
  8. club — for golf
  9. wax — to grow
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rush — hurry
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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