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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cell — a phone
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. chip — for betting
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chip — to eat
  16. branch — a division
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. march — the month
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. march — music
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wax — in the ear

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