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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. last — to go on
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. clip — to cut
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. shower — rain
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. last — final
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. last — finally
  19. clip — a video
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bulb — for light
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wax — to grow

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