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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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. rock — music
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rest — what's left
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. net — for catching
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. deal — to handle
  10. suit — clothes
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rock — a stone
  13. suit — to fit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wax — to grow
  21. suit — in cards
  22. rest — a break
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. safe — out of danger

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