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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: saw · wax · stock · root · bear · land · wake · prune

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stock — goods
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. root — the cause
  6. land — ground
  7. bear — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. prune — to trim
  12. land — to come down
  13. bear — the animal
  14. root — of a word
  15. saw — the tool
  16. land — a country
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stock — shares
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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