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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. season — of the year
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. clip — for paper
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cell — a phone
  16. clip — a video
  17. cell — in biology
  18. season — in sport
  19. deal — to handle
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wax — for sculpting

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