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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. kid — child
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kid — to tease
  16. shower — rain
  17. bark — of a tree
  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