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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mark — a grade
  4. field — farmland
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. field — for sport
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. field — a subject
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wound — an injury
  17. degree — from a university
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. trunk — of a car

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