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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. suit — clothes
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. ground — the earth
  7. suit — to fit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — to sink
  10. ground — a position
  11. cell — a phone
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wax — to grow
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. suit — in cards
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. ground — crushed
  23. fork — in a road
  24. trunk — of a car

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