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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. swing — to play on
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. drill — army training
  8. cue — a signal
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cue — for pool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. swing — music
  22. board — to get on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bark — to shout

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