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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. deal — to handle
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. ground — a position
  8. key — the most important part
  9. last — to go on
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. wax — to grow
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. last — final
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. last — finally
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. ground — the earth
  24. trunk — of a tree

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