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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: prune · wax · rush · rock · bark · calf · mouse · cold

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. prune — to trim
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rock — music
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. prune — to trim
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bark — 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