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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 120 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: wound · straw · wax · pitch · mate · scale · object · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. object — to protest
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitch — completely
  12. object — a thing
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. scale — in music
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wound — an injury
  21. object — an aim
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wax — in the ear

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