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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: rule · fan · staff · prune · track · plane · leaves · wax

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rule — a law
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. track — a path
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rule — government
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — a song
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wax — for sculpting

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