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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — a price
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. net — in sport
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. net — for catching
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. charge — in control
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. net — after costs
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pit — in a race
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wax — to grow
  24. perch — for a bird

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