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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 · dip · row · sharp · kid · leaves · wax · rash

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. row — to paddle
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. prune — to trim
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. wax — to grow
  11. kid — child
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. sharp — clever
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. row — a line
  20. prune — to trim
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. dip — to dunk

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