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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: wake · wax · wind · plane · prune · pound · drill · cabinet

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wake — a trail
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. drill — army training
  17. pound — a weight
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wax — to grow
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. drill — the tool

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