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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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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: pop · tube · march · wax · prune · ground · lash · ruler

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. march — music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. march — the month
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pop — soda
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pop — to visit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pop — music
  19. march — the month
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ground — a position
  22. tube — a container
  23. ground — crushed
  24. tube — the underground

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