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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bound — tied together
  6. charge — in control
  7. lean — to bend
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bound — obliged
  10. court — for sport
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wax — to grow
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. spring — of water
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. spring — the season
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bound — certain
  22. charge — a price
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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