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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wax — to grow
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mug — a cup
  6. track — a song
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wind — moving air
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. track — a path
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mug — a face
  18. track — to keep track
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. mug — to rob
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wind — moving air

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