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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mate — to breed
  4. spring — the season
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pass — a permit
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. shower — rain
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. spring — of water
  18. mate — a friend
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wax — to grow
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. trunk — of a car

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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