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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. present — the time now
  9. bark — to shout
  10. present — there
  11. spell — letters
  12. drill — the tool
  13. board — a committee
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. prune — to trim
  18. board — to get on
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. present — a gift

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