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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · rash · wax · bore · perch · present · prune · sharp

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bore — to drill
  6. prune — to trim
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kid — to tease
  12. present — there
  13. sharp — clever
  14. kid — child
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rash — a series
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. rash — hasty

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