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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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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: tube · scale · rule · prune · wax · snap · suit · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. prune — to trim
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. wax — to grow
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. tube — the underground
  7. suit — in cards
  8. tear — to rip
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rule — government
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. scale — size or range
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. suit — to fit
  17. snap — to click
  18. scale — in music
  19. suit — clothes
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tube — a container
  24. rule — a law

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