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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
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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 · fall · wax · bore · coach · bowl · wind · stock

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fall — the season
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. stock — shares
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stock — goods
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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