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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: trunk · club · leaves · wake · wax · cell · pit · cap

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cell — a phone
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cap — a lid
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. club — for golf
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. club — a group
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pit — a hole
  24. wax — for sculpting

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