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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: bowl · firm · stem · dip · fork · wax · cold · prune

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  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. cold — an illness
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. firm — a company
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. firm — decided
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. firm — steady
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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