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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: staff · net · fork · wax · pitch · straw · prune · deal

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pitch — completely
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fork — in a road
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. prune — to trim
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. net — after costs
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. net — for catching
  21. deal — to handle
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wax — to grow

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