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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fine — all right
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bark — of a tree

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