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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. key — for a lock
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. foot — a measure
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. key — in music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mark — a trace
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mark — a grade
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. key — the most important part
  24. foot — the bottom

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