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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wax — to grow
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. current — happening now
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. prune — to trim
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. drill — the tool
  21. current — electric
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. drill — army training
  24. current — of water

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