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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. band — a ring
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. present — there
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — a series
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rash — hasty
  14. kick — in football
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. present — a gift
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. band — a music group
  21. wax — to grow
  22. present — the time now
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wax — for sculpting

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