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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: roll · club · trunk · wax · arm · press · shower · pitcher

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. shower — rain
  5. club — for golf
  6. roll — a list
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. club — a group
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. shower — to wash
  22. press — to push
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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