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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · kid · pound · stand · prune · wax · bat · current

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. prune — to trim
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. kid — child
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. current — happening now
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. ball — a dance
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pound — a weight
  22. prune — to trim
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bat — the animal

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