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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: prune · sharp · calf · tube · swing · drill · wax · mine

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wax — to grow
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mine — for digging
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. swing — in golf
  9. drill — army training
  10. swing — music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. tube — a container
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tube — the underground
  24. calf — a young animal

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