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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.

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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: wax · prune · perch · capital · staff · pop · board · firm

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pop — soda
  3. capital — a city
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. firm — steady
  6. board — to get on
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wax — to grow
  9. firm — decided
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. board — a committee
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. prune — to trim
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pop — to visit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. capital — money
  21. staff — employees
  22. pop — music
  23. staff — employees
  24. firm — a company

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