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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bay · wax · bark · mug · capital · prune · present · saw

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. present — the time now
  3. mug — a face
  4. capital — money
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. present — a gift
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. capital — a city
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mug — a cup
  16. saw — the tool
  17. present — there
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. prune — the fruit

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