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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wax — to grow
  6. content — happy
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. branch — a division
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. content — the amount
  23. chest — of your body
  24. trunk — of a tree

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