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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. prune — to trim
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rash — hasty
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. staff — a stick
  11. firm — a company
  12. staff — employees
  13. bank — of a river
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. staff — employees
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. firm — steady
  21. bank — for money
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bank — for money
  24. rash — a series

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