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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: hand · prune · pit · firm · jam · nail · wake · wax

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. prune — to trim
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hand — in cards
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — steady
  7. hand — help
  8. pit — a hole
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. firm — decided
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wake — a trail
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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