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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. field — for sport
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rash — a series
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. perch — the fish
  14. march — music
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. march — the month
  18. bore — to tire
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. mine — for digging
  22. march — the month
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. trunk — of a car

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