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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bank — for money
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. wax — to grow
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bank — of a river
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. fall — the season
  22. bank — for money
  23. fall — to drop
  24. trunk — of a tree

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