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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · face · hand · club · wax · snap · trunk · squash

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. face — to confront
  6. snap — to click
  7. club — a group
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. hand — in cards
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. content — happy
  12. club — for golf
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hand — help
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wax — to grow
  18. club — for dancing
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. face — part of the head
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. content — the amount
  24. wax — for sculpting

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