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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: cue · cell · wax · fall · prune · bound · current · lash

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fall — the season
  6. current — electric
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cell — in biology
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bound — obliged
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cue — for pool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. current — of water
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fall — to drop
  20. current — happening now
  21. cue — a signal
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bound — certain

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