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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. firm — decided
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. net — after costs
  9. ground — a position
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. ground — the earth
  13. firm — a company
  14. ground — crushed
  15. net — for catching
  16. wax — to grow
  17. firm — steady
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. date — the fruit
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. net — in sport

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