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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. ground — a position
  4. drill — a practice
  5. current — happening now
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ground — crushed
  8. staff — a stick
  9. current — electric
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. staff — employees
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. drill — army training
  16. current — of water
  17. drill — the tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fine — high quality
  20. staff — employees
  21. fine — all right
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. wax — in the ear

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