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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 116 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: club · bowl · bulb · prune · stock · bound · wax · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — goods
  11. club — for dancing
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bound — obliged
  16. club — a group
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stock — shares
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. club — for golf

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