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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mark — a trace
  8. game — a match
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. content — happy
  12. mug — to rob
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mug — a cup
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mug — a face
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mark — a grade
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. content — the amount
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. racket — for tennis

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