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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 · prune · straw · leaves · mine · fall · ball · bass

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. ball — a great time
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fall — the season
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bass — low music

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