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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mate — to breed
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wind — moving air
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cell — in biology

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