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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: prune · wax · craft · face · lean · hand · pop · bound

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. lean — thin
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pop — music
  7. bound — tied together
  8. hand — help
  9. face — part of the head
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. face — to confront
  12. pop — to visit
  13. craft — boats
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wax — to grow
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bound — certain
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pop — soda
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bound — obliged
  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