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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. last — finally
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. last — to go on
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. can — a tin
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wax — to grow
  15. last — final
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. craft — boats
  18. can — a tin
  19. swing — music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. craft — a skill
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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