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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. current — electric
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. hand — help
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. current — happening now
  18. lean — thin
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. shower — rain
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. current — of water
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stand — to bear

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