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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: bulb · wax · leaves · bowl · prune · stock · swing · bear

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. stock — goods
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. swing — in golf
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. stock — shares
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bear — the animal
  22. swing — music
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bowl — to roll

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