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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: fall · prune · field · cell · chip · wax · suit · bulb

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. fall — to drop
  3. field — for sport
  4. bulb — for light
  5. field — farmland
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fall — to drop
  8. suit — to fit
  9. chip — to eat
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chip — for betting
  17. fall — the season
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. prune — to trim
  20. field — a subject
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. cell — in biology

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