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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wax — to grow
  5. land — ground
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bark — to shout
  8. present — a gift
  9. hand — in cards
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. land — a country
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. hand — help
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. land — to come down

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