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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: pass · trunk · mine · wax · staff · sharp · season · branch

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. wax — to grow
  6. branch — a division
  7. season — of the year
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. sharp — clever
  11. mine — for digging
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. season — in sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mine — an explosive

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