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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. current — electric
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. current — happening now
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. board — a committee
  20. bark — to shout
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. current — of water
  24. board — to get on

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