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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. present — the time now
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. present — a gift
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mate — to breed
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bound — certain
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cue — a hint
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bound — obliged
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. present — there
  24. cue — for pool

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