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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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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: wax · rush · trunk · hand · hide · mate · cell · saw

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. hand — help
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mate — a friend
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mate — to breed
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rush — hurry
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cell — in biology
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rush — to hurry
  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