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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. row — a line
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wax — to grow
  15. vault — a safe
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. season — of the year
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bark — to shout
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. season — in sport

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