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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wax — to grow
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pop — soda
  5. root — of a word
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. band — a ring
  8. lie — to recline
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. shower — rain
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. band — a music group
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pop — music
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. root — the cause
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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