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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.

Words on the sheet
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 · key · squash · straw · wax · sharp · present · court

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. court — of a king
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. present — a gift
  6. court — for sport
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. squash — the sport
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. prune — to trim
  14. court — of law
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. key — for a lock
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. sharp — clever
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. prune — to trim
  24. key — in music

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