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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 116 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. face — to confront
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. march — music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. march — the month
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. spring — the season
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. band — a music group
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. spring — a coil
  19. face — part of the head
  20. march — the month
  21. wax — to grow
  22. vault — a safe
  23. spring — of water
  24. band — a ring

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