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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: wind · kick · cell · present · wax · bore · perch · trunk

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wax — to grow
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. present — there
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. kick — in football
  12. present — a gift
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wind — moving air
  18. perch — the fish
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. present — the time now
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. cell — in biology

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