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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: spell · prune · cabinet · leaves · root · cold · wax · wake

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. root — of a word
  6. spell — magic
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spell — letters
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. spell — a short time

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