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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 120 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. track — a path
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cap — a hat
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cap — of ice
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cap — a lid
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wax — to grow
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. dip — to sink
  22. track — a song
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wax — in the ear

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