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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cue — a signal
  11. march — the month
  12. tear — to rip
  13. march — music
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cue — for pool
  18. march — the month
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. net — after costs
  21. tear — from crying
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cue — a hint
  24. tear — from crying

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