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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cell — a phone
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cell — in biology
  13. tear — from crying
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wax — to grow
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. coach — a trainer

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