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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · mine · perch · prune · coach · pit · deal · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. wax — in the ear
  2. deal — to handle
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. prune — to trim
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. mine — for digging
  10. perch — the fish
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. prune — to trim
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pit — in a race
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pit — a hole
  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