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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 120 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. rash — a series
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. ground — the earth

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