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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: season · wave · stem · wax · prune · rash · trunk · foot

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. rash — hasty
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. season — in sport
  8. stem — to come from
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. prune — to trim
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. prune — to trim
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. foot — a measure
  21. rash — a series
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stem — a stem cell

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