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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: bear · wax · bay · cabinet · fork · prune · land · track

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. track — a song
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. land — ground
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. land — a country
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fork — in a road
  19. land — to come down
  20. track — a path
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bear — the animal

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