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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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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 · capital · pitch · bowl · vault · wax · present · ground

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. capital — money
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. prune — to trim
  9. present — a gift
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. prune — to trim
  14. present — there
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ground — a position
  21. present — the time now
  22. capital — a city
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bowl — a football final

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