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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: trunk · chest · calf · fall · mate · wax · track · wave

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. track — a path
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. track — a song
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mate — a partner
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mate — to breed
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. chest — a box
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. fall — to drop
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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