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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.

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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: prune · wax · cue · press · kid · cell · leaves · rush

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cell — a phone
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. press — to push
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cue — a hint
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cue — a signal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kid — to tease
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cue — for pool
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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