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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. last — to go on
  6. track — a path
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rest — a break
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bear — the animal
  17. last — finally
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. drill — army training
  22. track — to keep track
  23. last — final
  24. track — a song

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