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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lie — to recline
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bulb — for light
  8. branch — a division
  9. season — of the year
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. clip — a video
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. clip — to cut
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wax — to grow

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