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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 120 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
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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: court · trunk · cabinet · wound · pitcher · wax · chest · snap

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chest — of your body
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. snap — to click
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. court — of law
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chest — a box
  16. court — of a king
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. chest — of your body
  23. court — for sport
  24. pitcher — a jug

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