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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 120 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
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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: cold · prune · stick · lash · pop · spell · wax · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pop — music
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. spell — letters
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. spell — magic
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cold — not warm
  19. pop — soda
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. spell — a short time
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. prune — the fruit

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