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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mug — a face
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rule — a law
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bark — to shout
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rule — government
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. vault — a safe
  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