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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: spell · wax · deal · jam · cold · trunk · date · root

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cold — an illness
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. spell — letters
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. root — of a word
  17. wax — to grow
  18. date — the fruit
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. root — the cause
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cold — not warm
  24. date — on the calendar

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