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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — for sport
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. face — part of the head
  16. field — farmland
  17. deal — to handle
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. field — a subject
  20. bark — to shout
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bulb — for light
  24. face — to confront

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