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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bound — obliged
  5. kick — in football
  6. root — the cause
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lean — thin
  12. root — of a word
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. date — the fruit
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. kid — child
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bound — certain
  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