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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 116 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 · wound · stand · wave · rest · wax · rash · bat

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rash — a series
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bat — the animal
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rest — a break
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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