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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
468
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: wound · chest · leaves · wax · saw · rash · bay · trunk

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. chest — a box
  19. saw — the tool
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rash — a series
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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