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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bass — low music
  9. fall — the season
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. rest — a break
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bass — the fish
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hide — to keep secret

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