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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.

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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: wax · rock · last · prune · chest · net · pass · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. net — in sport
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. last — final
  5. chest — of your body
  6. last — to go on
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. prune — to trim
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. chest — a box
  14. last — finally
  15. pass — a permit
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rock — a stone
  20. net — for catching
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. net — after costs
  24. pass — to succeed

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