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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. present — a gift
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. present — there
  10. content — the amount
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. content — happy
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pass — a permit
  18. deal — to handle
  19. row — a line
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wax — to grow
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. present — the time now

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