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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. club — for golf
  16. wax — to grow
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. present — there
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. club — a group

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