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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. season — of the year
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. ground — the earth
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. face — to confront
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. roll — a cake
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. season — in sport

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