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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: lean · trunk · coach · wax · pop · date · prune · last

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pop — to visit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wax — to grow
  8. lean — thin
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lean — to bend
  16. date — the fruit
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. pop — soda
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. last — finally
  24. pop — music

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