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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. stand — to bear
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. date — the fruit
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. saw — the tool
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. court — of law
  24. wax — to grow

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