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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. court — of a king
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. file — a line of people
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. court — for sport
  12. sharp — clever
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. season — of the year
  19. court — of law
  20. season — in sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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