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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. tear — to rip
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wax — to grow
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mark — a trace
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. ball — a great time
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. tear — from crying
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mark — a grade

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