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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: rock · wax · root · game · present · shower · board · trunk

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. root — of a word
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. present — the time now
  5. board — to get on
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. game — a match
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rock — music
  10. present — a gift
  11. rock — a stone
  12. board — a committee
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. root — of a plant
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wax — to grow
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. root — the cause
  19. present — there
  20. shower — rain
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wax — in the ear

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