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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. spring — the season
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. track — to keep track
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. press — newspapers
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. press — to push
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. press — a publisher
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bass — low music
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. spring — of water
  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