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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: chair · trunk · rush · ball · wax · toast · charge · stem

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. chair — a leader
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. rush — hurry
  13. charge — electricity
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. charge — a price
  17. wax — to grow
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. charge — in control
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. stem — to come from

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