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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · track · stem · prune · wave · row · wound · cold

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wound — an injury
  6. track — a path
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stem — to come from
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cold — an illness
  16. row — a line
  17. track — a song
  18. wound — an injury
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cold — not warm
  24. wave — of the sea

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