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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rash — hasty
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. prune — to trim
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bat — the animal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rash — a series
  9. wax — to grow
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. track — a song
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. prune — to trim
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. track — a path
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. track — to keep track

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