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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. drill — a practice
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. land — a country
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chip — to eat
  17. track — to keep track
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. bark — to shout
  21. drill — army training
  22. wax — to grow
  23. drill — the tool
  24. arm — a part of something

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