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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. file — a line of people
  4. can — a tin
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. file — a document
  10. can — a tin
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wax — to grow
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pound — a weight
  24. file — a tool

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