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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. charge — electricity
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wax — to grow
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stock — goods
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. face — to point toward
  15. board — to get on
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wind — moving air
  18. charge — a price
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. charge — in control
  21. stock — shares
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. board — a committee
  24. wind — to turn a key

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