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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: wax · chair · kid · mouse · land · jam · prune · fine

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. land — ground
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. land — to come down
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. land — a country
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mouse — the 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