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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — the time now
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. court — of law
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. file — a document
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. squash — to crush
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. squash — the sport
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. present — there
  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