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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: wind · bark · prune · calf · board · bay · pit · wax

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. pit — a hole
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. prune — to trim

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