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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: prune · fall · bulb · tube · root · season · wax · face

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. root — of a plant
  4. face — to confront
  5. fall — to drop
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. root — the cause
  8. tube — the underground
  9. season — of the year
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bulb — for light
  13. face — part of the head
  14. root — of a word
  15. fall — to drop
  16. prune — to trim
  17. face — to point toward
  18. prune — to trim
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. tube — a container
  21. season — in sport
  22. fall — the season
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wax — for sculpting

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