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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 120 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: drill · shower · pass · wax · lie · prune · plane · saw

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. drill — a practice
  3. shower — rain
  4. prune — to trim
  5. saw — the tool
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. shower — to wash
  11. saw — the tool
  12. drill — the tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. plane — a tool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. drill — army training
  22. prune — to trim
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. lie — to recline

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