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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bark — to shout
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bound — tied together
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. last — final
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. present — there
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. present — the time now
  18. last — to go on
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — finally
  21. file — a tool
  22. present — a gift
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wax — to grow

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