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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: trunk · rock · wax · root · pitch · chest · wave · stock

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rock — a stone
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. root — of a plant
  7. chest — a box
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rock — music
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stock — shares
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. stock — goods
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. root — of a word
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. root — the cause
  24. wax — to grow

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