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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 · wax · fall · game · staff · rule · sharp · race

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. staff — employees
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. game — a match
  7. race — humankind
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rule — government
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. staff — a stick
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — employees
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fall — to drop
  21. race — a contest
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rule — a law
  24. sharp — clever

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