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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: tear · prune · can · wax · roll · fall · stick · content

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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 — to grow
  4. fall — to drop
  5. content — happy
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. roll — a cake
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. can — a tin
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. prune — to trim
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. can — to be able to
  19. roll — a list
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. can — a tin
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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