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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: temple · stock · land · bat · firm · wax · mark · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. land — ground
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mark — a trace
  6. firm — decided
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wax — to grow
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stock — goods
  11. land — a country
  12. firm — steady
  13. land — to come down
  14. stock — shares
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. firm — a company
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bat — the animal

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