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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: wax · band · prune · rest · bulb · stock · mine · cabinet

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stock — goods
  3. rest — what's left
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rest — a break
  8. bulb — for light
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stock — shares
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. band — a ring
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. band — a music group
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. prune — to trim

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