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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 · prune · bass · pitcher · perch · tube · can · root

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. can — to be able to
  3. root — the cause
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. can — a tin
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. tube — the underground
  21. root — of a word
  22. bass — low music
  23. can — a tin
  24. tube — a container

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