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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. craft — a skill
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bark — to shout
  12. craft — boats
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. craft — a handicraft

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