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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 120 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: club · cabinet · net · wax · tube · stem · trunk · scale

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. scale — in music
  8. wax — to grow
  9. club — a group
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. net — for catching
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. club — for dancing
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. scale — size or range
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. club — for golf
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. tube — a container
  24. net — in 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