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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: bulb · net · pitch · mark · leaves · court · prune · wax

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mark — a grade
  7. net — for catching
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wax — to grow
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. court — of a king
  14. net — in sport
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. net — after costs
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. prune — to trim
  20. court — of law
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bulb — for light
  23. court — for sport
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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