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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. craft — boats
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pass — a permit
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. craft — a skill
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mouse — the animal

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