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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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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: sharp · kick · field · wave · prune · wax · hand · ruler

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. kick — in football
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. field — for sport
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wax — to grow
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. hand — in cards
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. hand — help

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