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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 124 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. land — a country
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lie — to recline
  8. land — ground
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cue — for pool
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bark — to shout
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cue — a hint
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wax — for sculpting

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