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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 · rule · cabinet · bore · prune · rash · last · staff

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bore — to drill
  8. last — to go on
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. last — final
  11. staff — employees
  12. last — finally
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — a series
  24. staff — a stick

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