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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: patient · date · prune · stock · wax · sharp · net · stick

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wax — to grow
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — clever
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stock — goods
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. date — the fruit
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stock — shares
  21. prune — to trim
  22. net — for catching
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. prune — the fruit

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