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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 124 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wax — to grow
  4. season — in sport
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chest — a box
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. season — of the year
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. trunk — of a tree

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