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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wax — to grow
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rash — hasty
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. cue — a signal
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rash — a series
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pass — a permit
  22. shower — rain
  23. cue — for pool
  24. shower — to wash

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