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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: spring · stick · bowl · prune · wax · file · pitcher · pit

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. spring — the season
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bowl — a dish

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