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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. spell — magic
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. kick — in football
  13. content — happy
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. content — the amount
  17. spell — letters
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. spell — a short time
  23. net — in sport
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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