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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wax — to grow
  4. roll — a cake
  5. plane — a tool
  6. roll — a list
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. kid — child
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. kid — to tease
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. bear — the animal
  24. racket — a loud noise

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