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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: wax · stock · pop · deal · rash · prune · pitcher · fork

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pop — soda
  6. stock — shares
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stock — goods
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pop — to visit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rash — a series
  20. wax — to grow
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. prune — to trim

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