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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 116 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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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: snap · swing · trunk · spring · wax · band · mark · chair

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mark — a grade
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. chair — a leader
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mark — a trace
  17. spring — of water
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. swing — music
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. snap — to click
  22. band — a ring
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. band — a rubber band

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