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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: jam · wax · mine · calf · prune · march · hand · cell

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. march — music
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. hand — help
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. calf — a young animal

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