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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wax — to grow

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