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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. kid — child
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ground — a position
  8. kid — to tease
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rock — music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. roll — a list
  23. ground — crushed
  24. racket — for tennis

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