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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: trunk · calf · wax · safe · bass · prune · scale · last

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — low music
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. last — to go on
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. last — final
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wax — to grow
  17. scale — size or range
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. last — finally
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. scale — in music
  24. prune — the fruit

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