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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: wax · mine · squash · snap · wind · stick · board · trunk

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. squash — the sport
  7. snap — to click
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wind — moving air
  12. board — a committee
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mine — for digging
  15. squash — to crush
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. board — to get on
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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