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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. wax — to grow
  5. land — to come down
  6. kick — in football
  7. dip — to sink
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. scale — size or range
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. land — a country
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. land — ground
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. scale — in music
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. prune — to trim

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