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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 116 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: wind · rest · wax · branch · suit · last · staff · wake

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rest — a break
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wax — to grow
  6. staff — employees
  7. rest — what's left
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. staff — employees
  10. wind — moving air
  11. suit — to fit
  12. last — finally
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. last — to go on
  15. branch — a division
  16. suit — clothes
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. last — final
  24. wind — to turn a key

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