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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: lie · last · snap · wax · tube · trunk · chair · arm

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tube — a container
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. lie — to recline
  14. last — final
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. last — to go on
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. tube — the underground
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. last — finally

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