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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lie — to recline
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mine — for digging
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wax — to grow
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. degree — from a university
  19. scale — in music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mug — to rob

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