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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. march — the month
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fall — the season
  8. march — music
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bat — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wax — to grow

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