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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: leaves · rest · wax · content · vault · prune · key · bark

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. vault — a safe
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rest — a break
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. key — the most important part
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bark — to shout
  15. content — happy
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. leaves — of a tree

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