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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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 an elephant
  3. wax — to grow
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pop — music
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. hand — help
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pop — soda
  17. hand — in cards
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cell — a phone
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. hand — part of the body

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