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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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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: hand · wave · trunk · clip · wax · board · current · cap

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cap — a lid
  3. board — a committee
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. current — of water
  10. wax — to grow
  11. clip — a video
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. hand — in cards
  18. clip — to cut
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hand — help
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cap — a hat
  24. board — to get on

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