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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. tube — the underground
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. prune — to trim
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. pitch — completely
  11. face — to point toward
  12. tube — a container
  13. lean — thin
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. face — part of the head
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. face — to confront
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wax — for sculpting

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