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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: ruler · sharp · roll · trunk · saw · wax · pop · net

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wax — to grow
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. net — in sport
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pop — music
  11. net — after costs
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pop — to visit
  16. net — for catching
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. roll — a list
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pop — soda
  22. sharp — clever
  23. saw — the tool
  24. sharp — exactly

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