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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: prune · wax · tear · plane · tube · pit · suit · rash

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. tear — to rip
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. tube — a container
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. suit — to fit
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pit — in a race
  18. tear — from crying
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. suit — in cards
  22. rash — a series
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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