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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: wax · racket · prune · vault · bulb · roll · cold · bay

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. roll — a list
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. roll — a cake
  10. prune — to trim
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. vault — a safe
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cold — an illness
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wax — in the ear

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