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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — to come down
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. land — ground
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. land — a country
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cell — a phone
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — a measure
  23. wax — to grow
  24. tube — a container

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