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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: wax · trunk · mouse · ground · swing · wind · chip · chest

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wax — to grow
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chest — a box
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ground — a position
  23. wind — moving air
  24. trunk — of a car

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