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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
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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: wound · ground · foot · wax · craft · wind · scale · prune

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. prune — to trim
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — to grow
  8. scale — size or range
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. ground — the earth
  12. scale — in music
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wound — an injury
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. ground — crushed
  22. craft — boats
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wound — an injury

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