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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. firm — decided
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wax — to grow
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. tear — to rip
  15. firm — a company
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tear — from crying
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. firm — steady
  20. bark — to shout
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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