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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: rock · bat · trunk · craft · rush · wax · bound · land

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. land — ground
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rock — music
  13. land — to come down
  14. bound — certain
  15. land — a country
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. bound — obliged
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. trunk — of a car

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