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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: bowl · swing · fan · wound · wax · trunk · bark · straw

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wax — to grow
  7. swing — music
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. swing — in golf

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