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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. face — part of the head
  3. pit — a hole
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. net — after costs
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. drill — the tool
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. net — in sport
  11. branch — a division
  12. net — for catching
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wax — to grow
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. face — to point toward
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. face — to confront

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