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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. can — to be able to
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. court — of a king
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. court — for sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. court — of law
  24. wound — an injury

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