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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: straw · rush · trunk · wax · pop · wake · bowl · calf

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pop — soda
  4. wax — to grow
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rush — hurry
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pop — music
  24. bowl — a football final

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