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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 120 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 · ruler · field · season · board · pass · kid · prune

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. field — for sport
  9. kid — child
  10. board — a committee
  11. field — a subject
  12. season — of the year
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. season — in sport
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. field — farmland
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. board — to get on

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