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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 · saw · staff · trunk · bulb · mark · present · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. staff — employees
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mark — a grade
  11. saw — the tool
  12. present — a gift
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. present — there
  19. present — the time now
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. staff — employees
  22. saw — the tool
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mark — a trace

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