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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: wax · shower · wind · branch · cue · perch · trunk · calf

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. branch — a division
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wind — moving air
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wind — moving air
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — to grow
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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