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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. stand — to bear
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bulb — for light
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. track — to keep track
  10. file — a tool
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chest — a box
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. file — a line of people
  17. chest — of your body
  18. file — a document
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bulb — for light
  24. deal — an agreement

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