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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: roll · wax · foot · bark · prune · lean · band · charge

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. charge — in control
  8. wax — to grow
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a list
  11. band — a music group
  12. bark — to shout
  13. prune — to trim
  14. roll — a cake
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. foot — a measure
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. band — a ring
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. foot — part of the body

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