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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: trunk · tube · calf · wax · foot · temple · spell · suit

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. tube — a container
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. wax — to grow
  10. foot — a measure
  11. spell — magic
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. suit — in cards
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. suit — clothes
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. suit — to fit

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