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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.

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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: chair · pass · fine · wax · bound · perch · prune · bulb

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pass — a permit
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bound — obliged
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bulb — for light
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fine — all right
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. fine — a penalty

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