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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wax — to grow
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. swing — in golf
  11. tube — the underground
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. face — to point toward
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. swing — music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. tube — a container
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rush — a thrill
  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