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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: craft · wax · wake · wind · temple · ruler · prune · cue

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cue — a signal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cue — a hint
  10. craft — boats
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wax — to grow
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cue — for pool

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