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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wax — to grow
  5. hand — help
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. hand — in cards
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cell — in biology
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. trunk — of a car

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