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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. dip — to sink
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pit — in a race
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. snap — to click
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. shower — to wash
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. shower — rain
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pit — a hole

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