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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 120 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. can — a tin
  5. file — a line of people
  6. can — to be able to
  7. mark — a grade
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. can — a tin
  10. file — a document
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kid — child
  14. mark — a trace
  15. chair — a leader
  16. file — a tool
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. kid — to tease
  24. chair — to sit on

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