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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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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: stem · toast · wind · wave · wax · date

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. date — the fruit
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. toast — bread
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wax — in the ear

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