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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bear — the animal

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