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

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pop — soda
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pop — music
  9. cell — in biology
  10. staff — employees
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. board — a committee
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pop — to visit
  18. staff — employees
  19. board — to get on
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. snap — to click
  24. cell — a phone

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