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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pit — in a race
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bore — to drill
  12. hand — help
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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