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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: rash · cap · stand · wax · drill · spring · prune · trunk

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. spring — of water
  6. drill — a practice
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. drill — the tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. cap — of ice
  13. spring — a coil
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — the season
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rash — a series
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. drill — army training
  24. rash — on the skin

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