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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 120 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: current · saw · court · prune · wax · lean · bear · staff

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. staff — employees
  10. court — of law
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. court — for sport
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. court — of a king
  17. saw — the tool
  18. current — happening now
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wax — to grow
  21. staff — a stick
  22. current — electric
  23. prune — to trim
  24. staff — employees

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