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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: prune · leaves · wax · bark · season · face · ball · court

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. prune — to trim
  7. court — for sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. ball — a great time
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. court — of law
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bark — to shout
  18. prune — to trim
  19. court — of a king
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. season — in sport
  24. bark — of a tree

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