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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: game · wind · wax · court · prune · can · lean · ground

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. can — a tin
  3. court — for sport
  4. game — a match
  5. court — of law
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lean — thin
  8. court — of a king
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wax — to grow
  13. can — to be able to
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. can — a tin
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. game — wild animals
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wind — to turn a key

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