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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pop — music
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pop — soda
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cell — in biology
  24. foot — the bottom

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