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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. last — final
  3. rock — a stone
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wax — to grow
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. last — finally
  13. ground — a position
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rock — music
  16. key — in music
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. key — the most important part
  20. last — to go on
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. staff — a stick

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