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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 one o'clock ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. board — to get on
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bear — the animal
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bear — the animal
  24. board — a committee

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