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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: arm · wax · roll · bank · deal · file · cue · prune

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. prune — to trim
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bank — for money
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. file — a tool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bank — for money
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cue — for pool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cue — a signal
  21. file — a document
  22. bank — of a river
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. deal — to handle

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