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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bass — the fish
  7. saw — the tool
  8. drill — the tool
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. club — for dancing
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bass — low music
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. club — a group
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. court — of a king
  22. drill — army training
  23. club — for golf
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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