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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. saw — the tool
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. lean — thin
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lean — to bend
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fall — the season
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bear — the animal
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bear — the animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. saw — the tool

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