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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · kid · trunk · net · wax · prune · pop · wave

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. kid — child
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wax — to grow
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wake — a trail
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. net — in sport
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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