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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: toast · prune · cap · wind · shower · wax · plane · pit

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. shower — rain
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pit — in a race
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. toast — bread
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cap — a lid
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. prune — to trim
  23. plane — a tool
  24. cap — of ice

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