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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: trunk · mug · nail · fine · fall · last · wax · content

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mug — a cup
  6. fall — the season
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mug — a face
  10. last — to go on
  11. fine — high quality
  12. last — final
  13. content — the amount
  14. last — finally
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. content — happy
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fine — all right
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mug — to rob
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. trunk — of a car

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