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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. march — the month
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. kid — child
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. cue — a hint
  16. march — the month
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — music
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kid — to tease

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