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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · arm · tear · leaves · safe · trunk · kid · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. tear — to rip
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. kid — child
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. tear — from crying
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wax — to grow
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. safe — a strongbox

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