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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: tube · trunk · roll · game · press · object · wax · date

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. tube — a container
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. object — a thing
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. date — the fruit
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wax — to grow
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. press — a publisher
  19. roll — a cake
  20. tube — the underground
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. roll — a list
  24. game — wild animals

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