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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: trunk · kick · last · wax · charge · craft · chest · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. last — final
  6. charge — in control
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wax — to grow
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. charge — electricity
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. chest — of your body
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. chest — a box
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. charge — a price
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. hide — to keep secret

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