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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: last · wax · wind · root · calf · branch · suit · firm

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. firm — a company
  4. root — of a word
  5. suit — clothes
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wind — moving air
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. suit — to fit
  13. firm — steady
  14. last — to go on
  15. wax — to grow
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. last — finally
  19. wind — moving air
  20. firm — decided
  21. branch — a division
  22. suit — in cards
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wax — for sculpting

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