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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. field — farmland
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. object — an aim
  12. wax — to grow
  13. land — ground
  14. field — for sport
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. field — a subject
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. object — to protest
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. object — a thing

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