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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · chip · prune · wind · mug · wax · bat · dip

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mug — a face
  10. chip — for betting
  11. dip — to sink
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bat — the animal
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chip — to eat
  24. ball — a dance

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