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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.

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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: wind · mouse · prune · mate · calf · fall · rush · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mate — a partner
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fall — the season

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