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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 120 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: mine · ball · trunk · arm · wax · spring · perch · patient

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. spring — of water
  3. wax — to grow
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spring — the season
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mine — for digging
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spring — a coil

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