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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fall — the season
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rock — music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — for sport
  14. foot — a measure
  15. field — a subject
  16. rash — hasty
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rash — a series
  21. field — farmland
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fall — to drop
  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