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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 · lie · kick · perch · rash · mate · wound · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mate — a partner
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kick — in football
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wax — to grow
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mate — to breed
  20. lie — to recline
  21. perch — the fish
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. perch — for a bird

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