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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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 — for sculpting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. kick — in football
  7. land — a country
  8. bear — the animal
  9. plane — a tool
  10. land — to come down
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. board — a committee
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wax — to grow
  18. land — ground
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. kick — a thrill
  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