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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. season — of the year
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rule — a law
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bank — for money
  9. season — in sport
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bank — for money
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rule — government
  18. bank — of a river

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