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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. degree — from a university
  5. content — the amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. can — a tin
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. hand — help
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cue — for pool
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. can — a tin
  20. content — happy
  21. cue — a signal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wax — to grow

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