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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: date · file · bass · mug · wax · prune · lean · stem

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mug — a face
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. file — a tool
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bass — low music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stem — to come from
  13. file — a document
  14. mug — to rob
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. lean — thin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mug — a cup
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bass — the fish

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