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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mate — a partner
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. land — a country
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mug — to rob
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mug — a face
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. degree — temperature
  19. land — ground
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. land — to come down
  22. degree — from a university
  23. perch — the fish
  24. degree — an amount

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