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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. current — happening now
  3. degree — from a university
  4. file — a line of people
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. current — electric
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. degree — temperature
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. file — a document
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bear — the animal
  20. current — of water
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. degree — an amount
  24. file — a tool

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