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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. lean — thin
  6. mark — a trace
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bulb — for light
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bound — certain

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