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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 120 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. key — in music
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bark — to shout
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. kick — in football

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