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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · prune · fan · game · wake · wave · wax · drill

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wax — to grow
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. game — a match
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. drill — army training
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wake — a trail

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