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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. row — a line
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. present — the time now
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. present — a gift
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rash — a series
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cap — of ice
  16. present — there
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rash — hasty
  24. prune — to trim

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