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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.

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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 · wax · chair · stick · firm · rock · fork · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. firm — a company
  3. fall — the season
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rock — music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. firm — steady
  11. rock — a stone
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fork — in a road
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. firm — decided
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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