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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. season — of the year
  4. tube — a container
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cold — an illness
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cold — not warm
  21. season — in sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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