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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: chip · safe · trunk · snap · wax · tear · foot · wind

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wax — to grow
  4. snap — to click
  5. wind — moving air
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. tear — to rip
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. foot — a measure
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. tear — from crying
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. tear — from crying
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wind — moving air
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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