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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: trunk · race · tear · ball · wax · roll · prune · rush

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rush — hurry
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. roll — a list
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. race — the arms race
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. race — humankind
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wax — to grow

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