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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 120 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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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: ruler · fork · hide · prune · last · spring · race · wax

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spring — a coil
  5. last — finally
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. race — a contest
  11. fork — in a road
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. race — humankind
  20. wax — to grow
  21. last — to go on
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. ruler — a monarch

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