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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: craft · season · wave · trunk · bat · wax · ground · present

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. craft — boats
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. season — of the year
  11. craft — a skill
  12. season — in sport
  13. present — the time now
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. present — a gift
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. present — there

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