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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 116 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: lash · wax · ruler · fall · court · wound · prune · wind

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wound — an injury
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — of law
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fall — to drop
  19. court — of a king
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. fall — the season
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. fall — to drop

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