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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
468
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: hide · coach · wind · prune · bore · wax · ball · rash

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wax — to grow
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rash — a series
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. prune — to trim

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