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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wax — to grow
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. row — a line
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fine — all right
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mate — a friend

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