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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: wax · vault · pitcher · prune · can · cap · field · cabinet

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. can — a tin
  4. cap — a hat
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. vault — a safe
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wax — to grow
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. cap — of ice
  18. field — for sport
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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