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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: ball · wax · rush · kid · trunk · cabinet · bulb · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ball — a great time
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wax — to grow
  11. kid — child
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fan — a supporter

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