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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: wax · stock · trunk · nail · craft · perch · scale · fan

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. perch — the fish
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. scale — in music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. craft — a skill
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. stock — shares
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stock — goods
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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