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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  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. wax — in the ear
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bank — for money
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bore — to tire
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. rash — a series
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bore — to drill
  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