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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. kid — child
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. wax — to grow
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. rash — hasty
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. net — after costs
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rash — a series
  20. net — for catching
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. net — in sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. kid — to tease

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