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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: prune · wax · wave · current · bay · face · court · file

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. court — for sport
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. face — to confront
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — of water
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. court — of a king
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. prune — to trim
  18. file — a tool
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. court — of law
  21. current — electric
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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