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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cue — a signal
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — to grow
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cold — not warm

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