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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · ball · staff · trunk · season · cold · lean · bear

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. cold — not warm
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. lean — to bend
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. staff — employees
  10. season — of the year
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wax — to grow
  15. season — in sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cold — an illness

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