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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. fall — to drop
  3. net — after costs
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fall — the season
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fork — in a road
  17. net — for catching
  18. prune — to trim
  19. net — in sport
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. wax — for sculpting

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