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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: club · wax · march · prune · rush · bulb · wound · fork

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for golf
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. fork — in a road
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — an injury
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bulb — for light
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rush — hurry

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