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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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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: staff · trunk · chair · leaves · wax · calf

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. staff — employees
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. staff — employees
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. chair — a leader

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