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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. saw — the tool
  15. capital — a city
  16. present — a gift
  17. saw — the tool
  18. capital — money
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. deal — to handle
  23. present — the time now
  24. wind — to turn a key

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