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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: spring · stick · trunk · wind · wax · prune · bay · calf

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wind — moving air
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wax — to grow
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. spring — the season
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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