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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 laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. chest — of your body
  6. suit — to fit
  7. stem — to come from
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. suit — clothes
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bark — to shout
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. season — in sport
  21. chest — a box
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. season — of the year

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