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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: board · prune · squash · pitcher · file · ground · wax · lean

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. file — a tool
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wax — to grow
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ground — a position
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. file — a document
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. lean — to bend
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. squash — to crush
  19. lean — thin
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a committee
  23. squash — the sport
  24. file — a line of people

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