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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. wax — to grow
  8. tube — a container
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. season — of the year
  11. roll — a list
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. roll — a cake
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. tube — the underground
  19. toast — bread
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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