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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 120 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: bat · bore · wake · bass · trunk · staff · wax · pound

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. staff — employees
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bass — low music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bore — to drill
  18. staff — employees
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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