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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. kid — child
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. spring — of water
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. present — there
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rush — hurry
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. spring — the season
  23. kid — to tease
  24. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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