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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. present — the time now
  4. season — in sport
  5. present — there
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pit — a hole
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bass — low music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. present — a gift
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pit — in a race
  20. season — of the year
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. squash — to crush

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