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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 120 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rule — government
  6. key — in music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bass — low music
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rule — a law
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. key — the most important part
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. key — for a lock
  20. stand — to bear
  21. hand — help
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wax — to grow

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