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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. key — for a lock
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wax — to grow
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. spring — of water
  20. key — in music
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. arm — a part of something

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