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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cold — an illness
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fall — the season
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wax — to grow
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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