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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wind — moving air
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cap — a lid
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bulb — for light
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. dip — to sink

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