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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: prune · march · wax · fan · club · cue · rock · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. march — the month
  8. prune — to trim
  9. club — a group
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. drill — a practice
  13. club — for golf
  14. drill — the tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. club — for dancing
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cue — a hint

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