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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 124 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. face — to confront
  6. club — a group
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stand — to bear
  10. swing — to play on
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. face — to point toward
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. face — part of the head
  20. club — for golf
  21. wax — to grow
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. stand — for spectators

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