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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 · prune · game · pop · chair · stem · current · wax

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. game — a match
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pop — music
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. prune — to trim
  9. game — wild animals
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. current — electric
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pop — soda
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chair — a leader
  24. prune — to trim

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