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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mug — a face
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mug — a cup
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. object — to protest
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cue — a hint
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. cue — a signal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. degree — from a university
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — a thing
  22. degree — an amount
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wax — to grow

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