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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. prune — to trim
  14. field — farmland
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. field — a subject
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cold — not warm
  19. field — for sport
  20. rock — music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. trunk — of a car
  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