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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: rule · wax · root · mug · vault · cold · last · prune

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. last — to go on
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cold — not warm
  6. root — the cause
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rule — a law
  13. cold — an illness
  14. prune — to trim
  15. last — final
  16. root — of a word
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wax — to grow
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rule — government
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. root — of a plant
  24. mug — a cup

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