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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: wax · mug · prune · ground · pop · rush · last · roll

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. roll — a list
  4. ground — a position
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mug — a face
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pop — to visit
  9. last — finally
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pop — music
  12. mug — to rob
  13. roll — a cake
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. ground — the earth
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pop — soda
  21. last — final
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ground — crushed
  24. last — to go on

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