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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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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: cabinet · leaves · drill · prune · race · wax · stand · kid

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. kid — to tease
  3. race — the arms race
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. race — a contest
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wax — to grow
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. drill — army training
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. kid — child
  22. race — humankind
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stand — to bear

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