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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. track — a path
  5. chip — to eat
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. track — to keep track
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stock — goods
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stock — shares
  22. track — a song
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wax — in the ear

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