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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wound — an injury
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wax — to grow
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wound — an injury
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fine — all right
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fan — to cool the air

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