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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 116 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bark — to shout
  4. drill — the tool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. drill — a practice
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. drill — army training
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bass — low music
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. mouse — the animal

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