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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 120 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: lean · snap · season · ground · rush · trunk · wax · perch

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rush — hurry
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. ground — the earth
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. perch — the fish
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. ground — a position
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. lean — thin
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. ground — crushed
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wax — to grow
  21. snap — to click
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wax — in the ear

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