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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: row · wax · hand · prune · stem · chip · craft · fall

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. craft — boats
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stem — to come from
  5. hand — help
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. row — a line
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chip — for betting
  18. row — to paddle
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. craft — a skill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hand — part of the body

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