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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: wax · firm · fan · prune · foot · rule · field · can

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. firm — a company
  3. field — for sport
  4. rule — government
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. prune — to trim
  7. firm — decided
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. firm — steady
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wax — to grow
  12. field — farmland
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. field — a subject
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. can — to be able to
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. can — a tin
  22. rule — a law
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. can — a tin

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