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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 120 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pop — soda
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. plane — a tool
  12. object — a thing
  13. rush — hurry
  14. chest — a box
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. object — to protest
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. chest — of your body
  20. object — an aim
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pop — music
  24. chest — of your body

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