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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: wax · arm · trunk · chest · tear · date · key · rush

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. key — in music
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wax — to grow
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. key — the most important part
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tear — from crying
  24. key — for a lock

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