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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: prune · chair · jam · lash · spring · cap · wax · tube

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. spring — a coil
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. spring — of water
  15. cap — a lid
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cap — a hat
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. spring — the season
  24. lash — to lash out

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