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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · chair · content · bowl · wound · mark · fan · wax

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. content — happy
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wound — an injury
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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