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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lean — thin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rest — a break
  16. race — humankind
  17. prune — to trim
  18. race — a contest
  19. pitch — completely
  20. saw — the tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rest — what's left

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