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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. present — the time now
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. lean — thin
  11. present — a gift
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bore — to tire
  15. snap — to click
  16. bore — to drill
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wax — to grow
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. present — there
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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