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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. mug — a cup
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. shower — rain
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mug — a face
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cap — a lid
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tube — the underground
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cap — a hat
  21. tube — a container
  22. craft — boats
  23. shower — to wash
  24. mug — to rob

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