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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 116 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: wave · wax · craft · chip · cap · cold · bark · trunk

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. craft — boats
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. cap — a hat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. chip — to eat
  12. craft — a skill
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cap — of ice
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wax — to grow

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