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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tear — to rip
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. degree — an amount
  8. tear — from crying
  9. content — the amount
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. staff — a stick
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. staff — employees
  15. degree — temperature
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wax — in the ear

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