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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pop — music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. present — the time now
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. present — there
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pop — soda
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. present — a gift
  22. can — a tin
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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