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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 120 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: wax · drill · dip · fine · rash · lean · prune · last

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. fine — all right
  6. last — to go on
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. lean — to bend
  10. last — finally
  11. fine — high quality
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rash — a series
  14. prune — to trim
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lean — thin
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wax — to grow
  24. last — final

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