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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pop — music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pop — to visit
  11. chest — a box
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pop — soda
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mug — to rob
  18. firm — decided
  19. chest — of your body
  20. roll — a list
  21. bark — to shout
  22. firm — a company
  23. roll — a cake
  24. ruler — for measuring

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