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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: mark · season · chair · craft · safe · prune · wax · game

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mark — a grade
  10. game — a match
  11. prune — to trim
  12. craft — a skill
  13. game — wild animals
  14. craft — boats
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. season — of the year
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. season — in sport

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