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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. tube — a container
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. suit — in cards
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. suit — to fit
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. suit — clothes
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wax — to grow
  17. degree — temperature
  18. cue — for pool
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fork — in a road
  21. sharp — clever
  22. degree — from a university
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. cue — a signal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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