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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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 — to grow
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cap — a hat
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cap — a lid
  24. leaves — lets stay

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