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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: pitcher · hand · prune · wax · wind · stem · firm · board

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. firm — a company
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wind — moving air
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. firm — decided
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. firm — steady
  20. hand — in cards
  21. board — a committee
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hand — help
  24. pitcher — a jug

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