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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cold — an illness
  5. sharp — clever
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. fall — the season
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. can — a tin
  24. wax — for sculpting

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