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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: fan · wax · roll · saw · pitch · trunk · ground · bulb

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ground — crushed
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. ground — the earth
  15. roll — a list
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ground — a position
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wax — to grow
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. saw — the tool
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. saw — the tool

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