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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. capital — a city
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — in sport
  6. mark — a grade
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wax — to grow
  11. scale — in music
  12. season — of the year
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mark — a trace
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. capital — money
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wax — in the ear

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