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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: object · wax · prune · chair · drill · can · lie · game

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. game — a match
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. can — a tin
  6. drill — a practice
  7. can — to be able to
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chair — a leader
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. drill — the tool
  16. object — a thing
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wax — to grow
  20. drill — army training
  21. object — to protest
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. game — wild animals
  24. object — an aim

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