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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: spring · calf · cue · toast · wax · wind · trunk · firm

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wax — to grow
  3. firm — a company
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cue — a hint
  6. firm — steady
  7. wind — moving air
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. firm — decided
  13. wind — moving air
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cue — a signal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. spring — the season
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cue — for pool

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