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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. toast — bread
  3. bass — the fish
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bass — low music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. plane — a tool
  8. last — finally
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wax — to grow
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. last — to go on
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. wind — moving air
  22. last — final
  23. prune — to trim
  24. plane — in geometry

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