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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 120 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: wax · stem · prune · bay · board · wind · face · bear

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — to confront
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bear — the animal
  7. board — to get on
  8. wind — moving air
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bear — the animal
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. face — to point toward
  23. board — a committee
  24. bay — a horse colour

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