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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: prune · scale · wind · calf · charge · stem · wax · rash

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — to grow
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stem — to come from
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. charge — in control
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. charge — a price
  20. scale — size or range
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. scale — in music
  23. rash — a series
  24. stem — of a plant

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