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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
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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: rock · prune · object · wax · date · cell · rush · foot

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wax — to grow
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. foot — a measure
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. date — the fruit
  8. object — a thing
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. object — an aim
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. object — to protest
  24. date — on the calendar

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