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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: lean · pitcher · press · calf · prune · scale · pop · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lean — to bend
  4. press — newspapers
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. scale — size or range
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lean — thin
  16. scale — in music
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pop — music
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. press — to push
  24. pitcher — a jug

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