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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. current — electric
  13. bark — to shout
  14. staff — a stick
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. current — happening now
  21. staff — employees
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. foot — a measure
  24. current — of water

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