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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rash — a series
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a list
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pop — soda
  15. wax — to grow
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. roll — a cake
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. chair — a leader
  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