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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wound — an injury
  7. tube — a container
  8. spell — letters
  9. wound — an injury
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. capital — money
  13. season — of the year
  14. charge — in control
  15. wax — to grow
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. capital — a city
  22. tube — the underground
  23. season — in sport
  24. wax — for sculpting

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