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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: staff · trunk · snap · capital · fall · pit · wax · perch

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. staff — a stick
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fall — to drop
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. staff — employees
  10. capital — a city
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. snap — to click
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. capital — money
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fall — to drop
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. fall — the season
  23. wax — to grow
  24. perch — the fish

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