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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cold — not warm
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. saw — the tool
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wax — to grow
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cold — an illness
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. snap — to click
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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