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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.

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: wind · wax · prune · fine · temple · mug · plane · net

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. plane — a tool
  7. net — in sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fine — high quality
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mug — a face
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — a penalty

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