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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. press — to push
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mine — for digging
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. prune — to trim
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. kick — in football
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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