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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: bat · rush · net · ball · straw · coach · wax · trunk

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. ball — a dance
  6. net — for catching
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rush — hurry
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. net — in sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. net — after costs
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wax — to grow
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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