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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. foot — a measure
  3. present — a gift
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. drill — the tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — army training
  8. present — there
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. land — a country
  11. present — the time now
  12. drill — a practice
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. file — a document
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. land — ground
  24. wax — in the ear

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