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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · suit · tear · key · court · squash · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — the most important part
  3. tear — from crying
  4. court — of law
  5. squash — the sport
  6. suit — in cards
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. suit — to fit
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wax — to grow
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. suit — clothes
  19. saw — the tool
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. squash — to crush

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