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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. deal — to handle
  9. sharp — clever
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bass — low music
  15. stem — to come from
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. ruler — a monarch

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