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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bound — tied together
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. dip — to sink
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bound — certain
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wax — for sculpting

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