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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lie — to recline
  4. root — of a plant
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. perch — the fish
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wax — to grow
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rush — hurry
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. root — the cause
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. root — of a word
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. perch — for a bird

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