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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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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: fall · trunk · press · wax · club · foot · rock · bowl

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wax — to grow
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rock — music
  7. press — a publisher
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. club — a group
  14. press — to push
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fall — to drop
  18. foot — a measure
  19. club — for dancing
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rock — a stone
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bowl — a football final

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