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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: rush · trunk · march · wax · root · net · arm · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. root — of a plant
  5. wax — to grow
  6. net — in sport
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. march — the month
  10. root — the cause
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. march — music
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rush — hurry
  16. march — the month
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. root — of a word
  24. trunk — of a car

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