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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. tear — from crying
  4. swing — music
  5. charge — a price
  6. tear — from crying
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. charge — in control
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. chest — of your body
  14. swing — in golf
  15. season — in sport
  16. pound — a weight
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. season — of the year
  21. wax — to grow
  22. swing — to play on
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chest — a box

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