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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 116 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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bound — certain
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mug — a face
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mug — a cup
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. spring — of water
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rock — music
  19. spring — the season
  20. mug — to rob
  21. fall — the season
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bound — tied together
  24. prune — the fruit

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