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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: kick · wax · rash · coach · trunk · face · wind · rock

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rock — a stone
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wind — moving air
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. rock — music
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wax — to grow
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wind — moving air
  15. face — to confront
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rash — a series
  21. face — to point toward
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. kick — in football

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