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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hand — help
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wax — to grow
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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