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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. dip — to sink
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — after costs
  10. sharp — clever
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — the tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. wax — to grow
  16. net — in sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wound — an injury
  22. prune — to trim
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. net — for catching

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