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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. wax — in the ear
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wax — to grow
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spell — a short time
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. fork — in a road
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. spell — letters
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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