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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. lean — thin
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. swing — in golf
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fine — all right
  11. swing — music
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. scale — size or range
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. fine — high quality
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. trunk — of a tree

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