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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chip — to eat
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. kick — in football
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. branch — a division
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fall — to drop
  18. foot — a measure
  19. wax — to grow
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fall — the season
  24. wound — an injury

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