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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wax — to grow
  3. dip — to sink
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stock — shares
  8. file — a tool
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stock — goods
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rest — what's left
  17. file — a line of people
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. file — a document
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rest — a break
  24. chest — of your 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