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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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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: fork · bowl · prune · wax · swing · cell · staff · file

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. staff — employees
  2. swing — in golf
  3. prune — to trim
  4. file — a document
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. file — a line of people
  12. swing — music
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. staff — employees
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wax — to grow
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a tool
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. prune — the fruit
  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