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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. net — for catching
  3. branch — a division
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. last — finally
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. file — a line of people
  10. net — after costs
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. file — a document
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. net — in sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. file — a tool
  24. wax — for sculpting

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