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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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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 · mug · wax · kick · band · wave · present

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. band — a ring
  12. present — the time now
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — to rob
  17. present — there
  18. present — a gift
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wax — to grow
  21. band — a music group
  22. mug — a face
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. kick — in football

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