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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: toast · jam · fine · trunk · mouse · kid · rest · wax

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fine — high quality
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. rest — a break
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. wax — to grow
  22. toast — bread
  23. rest — what's left
  24. jam — in traffic

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