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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mark — a trace
  5. drill — army training
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. dip — to sink
  8. prune — to trim
  9. roll — a cake
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wax — to grow
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mark — a grade
  19. drill — the tool
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. drill — a practice

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