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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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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 · stick · pound · prune · ruler · hand · fall · season

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. season — in sport
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fall — the season
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. season — of the year
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hand — help

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