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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.

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: plane · hide · wax · season · race · drill · rash · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. drill — army training
  4. rash — a series
  5. season — in sport
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. season — of the year
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — a practice
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. plane — a tool
  21. drill — the tool
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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