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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. last — to go on
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. last — final
  6. chest — a box
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. suit — in cards
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cell — a phone
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chest — of your body
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. last — finally
  24. cell — in biology

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