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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: season · wax · trunk · cap · ruler · spring · bark · firm

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. season — in sport
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. firm — steady
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spring — the season
  10. firm — decided
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. season — of the year
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spring — a coil
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wax — to grow
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. firm — a company

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