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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: swing · can · wax · prune · mouse · wake · bat · object

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wake — a trail
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. can — a tin
  6. swing — music
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. object — to protest
  13. swing — to play on
  14. object — an aim
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. object — a thing
  18. bat — the animal
  19. can — a tin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. prune — to trim

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