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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. branch — a division
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. chair — a leader
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. field — a subject
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. sharp — clever
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. field — for sport
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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