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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. fine — all right
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. last — final
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. drill — army training
  12. rash — a series
  13. fine — high quality
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. last — finally
  18. craft — boats
  19. last — to go on
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. rash — hasty
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. prune — the fruit

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