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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bore — to tire
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bore — to drill
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. root — of a plant
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. firm — steady
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. root — of a word
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. firm — a company
  19. root — the cause
  20. firm — decided
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chair — to sit on

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