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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bat — the animal
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wax — to grow
  24. nail — for a hammer

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