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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: rest · trunk · mate · craft · wax · wind · bass · squash

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wax — to grow
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. craft — boats
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rest — a break
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. craft — a skill
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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