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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 · wound · fall · tear · wax · pit · rush · mark

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fall — to drop
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fall — the season
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fall — to drop
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wound — an injury
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rush — to hurry

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