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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bass — low music
  7. mug — to rob
  8. row — to paddle
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rest — what's left
  13. row — a line
  14. mug — a face
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wax — to grow
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rest — a break
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wound — an injury

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