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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: file · pitcher · wax · perch · mug · kid · sharp · prune

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — to rob
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. perch — the fish
  10. file — a document
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. file — a tool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mug — a face
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mug — a cup
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. file — a line of people
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kid — child
  24. sharp — exactly

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