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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 120 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: wax · wind · rush · prune · bulb · bay · court · pitcher

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. court — of law
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. court — of a king
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. court — for sport
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rush — hurry
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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