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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: roll · cap · lash · trunk · wax · lean · cell · squash

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cap — of ice
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. roll — a cake
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. roll — a list
  14. lean — to bend
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wax — to grow
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. lean — thin
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cell — in a prison

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