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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 116 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: wax · trunk · pound · lash · nail · content · spring · hand

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. content — the amount
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spring — a coil
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. spring — the season
  12. pound — a weight
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spring — of water
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. content — happy
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. hand — help

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