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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: row · wax · current · spell · root · rest · prune · sharp

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rest — a break
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. sharp — clever
  8. current — electric
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. current — of water
  14. root — of a word
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. prune — to trim
  18. row — to paddle
  19. prune — to trim
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. current — happening now
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spell — magic
  24. wax — to grow

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