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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · march · mug · wax · cabinet · lash · rush · kick

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rush — hurry
  6. kick — in football
  7. mug — a face
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. march — the month
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. march — music
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. march — the month

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