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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: cold · track · wax · calf · lash · lie · stock · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stock — shares
  3. track — to keep track
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stock — goods
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. track — a song
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cold — an illness
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cold — not warm
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wax — to grow
  23. track — a path
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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