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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: stick · chair · trunk · wax · pitcher · court · nail · land

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. land — to come down
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. land — ground
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. land — a country
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wax — to grow
  13. chair — a leader
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. court — of a king
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — of law
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. court — for sport

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