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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bay · trunk · cold · stock · nail · wax · bore · leaves

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stock — shares
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bore — to tire
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cold — not warm
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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