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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 · firm · lean · present · fan · dip · wax · hand

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. present — there
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. lean — to bend
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. present — a gift
  12. firm — a company
  13. lean — thin
  14. firm — decided
  15. dip — to sink
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. hand — help
  22. present — the time now
  23. hand — in cards
  24. firm — steady

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