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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pit — a hole
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stock — shares
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. field — for sport
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. stock — goods
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wax — in the ear

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