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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: prune · bay · suit · lean · wind · chest · wax · swing

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chest — a box
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lean — thin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wind — moving air
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. suit — to fit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. suit — in cards
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lean — to bend
  21. prune — to trim
  22. swing — music
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. lean — to rest against

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