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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 120 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. press — a publisher
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. press — newspapers
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. firm — steady
  10. press — to push
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rest — a break
  13. firm — decided
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bark — to shout
  17. firm — a company
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tube — the underground
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tube — a container
  24. bark — of a tree

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