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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wax — to grow
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. can — to be able to
  16. file — a document
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. can — a tin
  24. leaves — to go away

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