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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wax — to grow
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mug — a face
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chair — a leader
  10. prune — to trim
  11. squash — to crush
  12. game — a match
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bore — to drill
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bore — to tire
  18. game — wild animals
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. squash — the sport
  24. racket — for tennis

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