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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bass — low music
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. tube — a container
  16. kid — child
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. lean — thin
  19. bass — the fish
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rush — hurry
  22. spell — letters
  23. kid — to tease
  24. spell — magic

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