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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.

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: wax · roll · plane · racket · nail · prune · ground · cell

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ground — the earth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. roll — a list
  9. ground — a position
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. plane — a tool
  19. ground — crushed
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. nail — on a finger

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