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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: present · wax · spell · straw · ball · rush · prune · march

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. present — the time now
  3. march — the month
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. spell — magic
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — to grow
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. march — the month
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rush — hurry
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. present — there
  14. march — music
  15. present — a gift
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rush — a thrill

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