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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: wax · spring · dip · root · season · perch · prune · fine

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. fine — all right
  3. prune — to trim
  4. season — of the year
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fine — high quality
  8. dip — to sink
  9. root — of a word
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spring — a coil
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. root — the cause
  21. season — in sport
  22. perch — the fish
  23. root — of a plant
  24. season — to add flavour

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