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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. kick — in football
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fork — in a road
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wax — in the ear

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