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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wind — moving air
  4. game — wild animals
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pit — a hole
  7. ball — a great time
  8. game — a match
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. wax — to grow

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