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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 116 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: saw · rock · mine · trunk · wax · rush · shower · bat

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rock — music
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rock — a stone
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. shower — rain
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rush — to hurry

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