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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 120 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: land · scale · stock · bank · wax · firm · root · prune

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. firm — a company
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. land — a country
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. land — to come down
  12. stock — goods
  13. firm — steady
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. scale — in music
  16. root — of a word
  17. bank — for money
  18. root — the cause
  19. bank — for money
  20. land — ground
  21. stock — shares
  22. firm — decided
  23. prune — to trim
  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