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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ball — a great time
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. staff — employees
  13. ball — a dance
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fine — all right
  17. march — music
  18. fine — high quality
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. trunk — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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