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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 116 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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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: snap · hide · game · prune · wax · rest · court · ruler

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. game — a match
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. court — for sport
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. snap — to click
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wax — to grow
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. prune — to trim
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wax — for sculpting

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