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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: bank · wax · wound · bulb · shower · fine · straw · prune

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bank — for money
  6. fine — all right
  7. wax — to grow
  8. prune — to trim
  9. shower — to wash
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bank — for money
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bank — of a river
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wound — an injury

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