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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to tire
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. content — the amount
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bore — to drill
  10. march — music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. squash — to crush
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. content — happy
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. march — the month
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wax — to grow
  22. march — the month
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hide — animal skin

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