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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 116 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rule — government
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cap — a hat
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rule — a law
  7. field — farmland
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cap — of ice
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wax — to grow
  15. field — for sport
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cap — a lid
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. field — a subject
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. perch — for a bird

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