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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 · staff · can · bass · bat · wax · snap · saw

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wax — to grow
  3. can — a tin
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. can — a tin
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. can — to be able to
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bat — the animal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. saw — the tool
  16. staff — employees
  17. snap — to click
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. staff — a stick
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. bass — low music

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