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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: trunk · perch · can · wax · shower · bore · rash · racket

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. perch — the fish
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. shower — rain
  14. rash — a series
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wax — to grow
  18. can — a tin
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. shower — to wash
  21. can — to be able to
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rash — hasty
  24. can — a tin

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