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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. root — of a plant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. root — the cause
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cell — in biology
  15. roll — a list
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cell — a phone
  18. root — of a word
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wax — to grow

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