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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bore — to drill
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wax — to grow
  10. last — final
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cell — a phone
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. last — finally
  18. wound — an injury
  19. last — to go on
  20. rest — a break
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cell — in biology

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