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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.

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: present · bowl · prune · wound · pitcher · foot · wax · ground

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. present — the time now
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ground — a position
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. foot — a measure
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. present — a gift

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