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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chest — a box
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. kid — child
  11. foot — a measure
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. chest — of your body
  20. kid — to tease
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wax — to grow
  24. trunk — of a tree

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