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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · wax · spring · toast · chair · pit · trunk · shower

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pit — a hole
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. spring — the season
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. toast — bread
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. spring — of water
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wax — to grow
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pit — in a race
  23. spring — a coil
  24. chair — a leader

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