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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 116 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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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 · cell · prune · ruler · root · perch · club · bound

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. root — of a plant
  3. club — a group
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. club — for dancing
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. club — for golf
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bound — obliged
  11. root — of a word
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cell — in biology
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. root — the cause
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ruler — for measuring

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