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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. last — to go on
  8. wake — a trail
  9. present — the time now
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bark — to shout
  15. present — there
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. last — final
  20. present — a gift
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. last — finally
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. hide — animal skin

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