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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bound — certain
  6. fork — in a road
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bound — tied together
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bound — obliged
  20. track — a song
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — a path
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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