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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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. season — in sport
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bank — of a river
  9. season — of the year
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rest — a break
  16. bank — for money
  17. rest — what's left
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bank — for money
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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