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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. date — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rock — a stone
  6. land — a country
  7. rock — music
  8. land — to come down
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. land — ground
  16. wake — a trail
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. prune — to trim

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