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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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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: suit · snap · trunk · wind · row · chest · band · wax

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. suit — to fit
  3. row — to paddle
  4. suit — clothes
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. row — a line
  9. band — a ring
  10. chest — of your body
  11. band — a music group
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chest — of your body
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. snap — to click
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chest — a box
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wind — moving air
  24. suit — in cards

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