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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bound — tied together
  6. field — for sport
  7. mug — a face
  8. bound — obliged
  9. field — farmland
  10. capital — a city
  11. field — a subject
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bound — certain
  17. saw — the tool
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mug — a cup
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. capital — money
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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