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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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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: degree · wax · chest · band · race · club · calf · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. club — for golf
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. race — humankind
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. degree — from a university
  15. race — a contest
  16. club — a group
  17. chest — a box
  18. race — the arms race
  19. chest — of your body
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. club — for dancing
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. calf — of the leg

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