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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wax — to grow
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. chest — a box
  8. file — a line of people
  9. tube — the underground
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. tube — a container
  16. key — in music
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. file — a tool
  19. stand — to bear
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. file — a document
  23. key — for a lock
  24. chest — of your body

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