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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bark — to shout
  5. content — happy
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. file — a tool
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wax — to grow
  15. file — a document
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. content — the amount
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mark — a trace
  22. file — a line of people
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chair — to sit on

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