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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bark — to shout
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. stock — shares
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fine — high quality
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stock — goods
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. fine — all right
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. calf — of the leg

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