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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. can — a tin
  3. staff — employees
  4. bark — to shout
  5. shower — to wash
  6. can — a tin
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wax — to grow
  10. staff — a stick
  11. can — to be able to
  12. staff — employees
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pop — to visit
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. shower — rain
  17. pop — soda
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pop — music
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mark — a trace
  24. sharp — with an edge

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