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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cue — a hint
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. land — ground
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cue — a signal
  7. stock — shares
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. land — a country
  14. lean — to bend
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cap — a lid
  18. stock — goods
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wax — to grow
  24. lean — thin

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