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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. staff — employees
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. staff — employees
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. fine — all right
  14. staff — a stick
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wax — to grow

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