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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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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: cell · bowl · cabinet · prune · chair · wax · toast · key

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. key — in music
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. chair — a leader
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. prune — to trim
  10. toast — bread
  11. wax — to grow
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wax — for sculpting

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