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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
468
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: last · nail · pitcher · ruler · wax · mark · cold · prune

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mark — a grade
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. last — to go on
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mark — a trace
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. last — finally
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. last — final
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — a jug

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