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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
468
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: wound · wax · prune · mine · hide · march · can · toast

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mine — for digging
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. can — to be able to
  10. march — music
  11. can — a tin
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wax — to grow
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. wound — an injury

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