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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. row — a line
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. board — a committee
  9. land — ground
  10. can — a tin
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. board — to get on
  24. wax — to grow

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