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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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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: prune · snap · bowl · pit · cabinet · file · wax · arm

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. file — a tool
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. prune — to trim
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. file — a document
  19. pit — a hole
  20. prune — to trim
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pit — in a race

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