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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 120 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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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: wave · prune · bay · wax · rule · hand · rock · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. rule — government
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rule — a law
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rock — music
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rock — a stone
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. rule — to rule out

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