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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. branch — a division
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rest — what's left
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. snap — to click
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. fan — to cool the air

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