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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. suit — clothes
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. field — a subject
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. suit — to fit
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. field — for sport
  24. chair — a professorship

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