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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rock — music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. saw — the tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. kick — in football
  12. rash — a series
  13. rock — a stone
  14. spring — of water
  15. rash — hasty
  16. roll — a list
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. spring — a coil
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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