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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wax — to grow
  6. face — to confront
  7. band — a ring
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rest — a break
  10. fall — the season
  11. prune — to trim
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. press — to push
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. press — a publisher
  21. saw — the tool
  22. band — a music group
  23. press — newspapers
  24. band — a rubber band

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