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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mate — a partner
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mate — to breed

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