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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. file — a tool
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. net — after costs
  6. band — a music group
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. net — for catching
  14. file — a document
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. net — in sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. band — a ring
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. file — a line of people
  23. squash — to crush
  24. lash — an eyelash

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