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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · club · wax · fork · leaves · prune · spring · bass

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — a grade
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. club — for golf
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spring — of water
  16. bass — low music
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. club — a group
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bass — the fish
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mark — a trace

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