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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: club · pass · wax · wind · prune · capital · calf · bat

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. capital — a city
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. club — for dancing
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. club — a group
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. club — for golf
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. capital — money
  23. pass — a permit
  24. wax — in the ear

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