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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. date — the fruit
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. roll — a list
  11. cap — a hat
  12. prune — to trim
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cap — a lid
  15. tear — from crying
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cap — of ice
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. roll — a cake
  23. prune — to trim
  24. straw — dry grass

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