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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: straw · stem · prune · wake · club · chair · ball · wax

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stem — to come from
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wax — to grow
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — a group
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chair — a professorship

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