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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kick — in football
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wax — to grow
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. band — a music group
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. band — a ring
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wound — an injury
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. face — to confront
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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