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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: wax · leaves · prune · wave · kid · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. kid — child
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wax — to grow
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. land — ground
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. land — a country
  18. leaves — of a tree

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