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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: saw · fan · trunk · drill · net · wax · foot · perch

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. net — for catching
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. drill — the tool
  13. net — after costs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. perch — the fish
  17. drill — army training
  18. foot — a measure
  19. net — in sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. perch — for a bird
  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