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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.

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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 · ground · ruler · chair · face · calf · stick · wax

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ground — a position
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. face — to confront
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wax — in the ear

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