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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fork — in a road
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rest — what's left
  7. prune — to trim
  8. row — a line
  9. firm — a company
  10. rest — a break
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. object — an aim
  13. firm — steady
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. prune — to trim
  18. object — to protest
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. firm — decided
  23. rest — what's left
  24. straw — dry grass

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