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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: straw · wax · jam · club · leaves · net · prune · drill

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. prune — to trim
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. net — after costs
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. net — in sport
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. net — for catching
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. club — for golf
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. drill — a practice
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. wax — to grow
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. club — a group
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. club — for dancing

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