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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pop — to visit
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wax — to grow
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pop — music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pop — soda
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. kid — child
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. kid — to tease

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