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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: fan · clip · row · wax · roll · bulb · trunk · wake

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. clip — a video
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. clip — for paper
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wake — a trail
  16. roll — a cake
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. row — to paddle
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wax — to grow
  23. row — a line
  24. trunk — of a tree

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