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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: cap · wax · trunk · cue · last · staff · pop · leaves

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. last — final
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pop — music
  5. cap — a lid
  6. staff — employees
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pop — soda
  12. cue — a signal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. staff — employees
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. last — to go on
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wax — to grow
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pop — to visit
  23. staff — a stick
  24. last — finally

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