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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.

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: band · sharp · wind · wax · snap · bear · spring · trunk

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. spring — of water
  6. band — a music group
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spring — a coil
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to click
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wind — moving air
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bear — the animal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spring — the season
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. band — a ring
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. band — a rubber band

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