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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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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: prune · land · wax · plane · lash · arm · pop · stem

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pop — to visit
  3. plane — a tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. land — to come down
  6. pop — soda
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pop — music
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. land — ground
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. land — a country
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. arm — part of the body

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