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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bass — low music
  3. track — a song
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bass — the fish
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — the season
  21. squash — to crush
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wax — to grow
  24. trunk — of a car

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