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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. staff — employees
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wax — to grow
  5. ground — a position
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. ground — the earth
  9. tube — the underground
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. can — to be able to
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. can — a tin
  18. lean — thin
  19. staff — employees
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. can — a tin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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