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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: hand · hide · trunk · arm · present · ground · wax · tube

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wax — to grow
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. hand — help
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. ground — crushed
  7. tube — a container
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. ground — a position
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. hand — in cards
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. ground — the earth
  20. present — the time now
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. arm — part of the body

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