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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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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: snap · chair · ball · wind · trunk · wax · bore · key

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. key — in music
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ball — a dance
  7. key — the most important part
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bore — to drill
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bore — gave birth

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