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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 116 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: tube · pop · present · wax · craft · prune · deal · chair

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pop — to visit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. present — a gift
  10. deal — to handle
  11. tube — a container
  12. pop — music
  13. tube — the underground
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. chair — a leader
  16. craft — boats
  17. pop — soda
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. present — there
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wax — to grow
  22. present — the time now
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. craft — a skill

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