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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: wax · bulb · row · prune · temple · hand · fan · ruler

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. prune — to trim
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. hand — in cards
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. hand — help
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wax — to grow
  22. row — to paddle
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fan — a supporter

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