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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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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: wave · field · kick · wax · lash · snap · trunk · perch

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. field — for sport
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. field — a subject
  14. snap — to click
  15. kick — in football
  16. field — farmland
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wax — to grow
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. perch — for a bird

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