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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. craft — a skill
  5. cell — in biology
  6. firm — decided
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. craft — boats
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. firm — steady
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. firm — a company
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rash — a series
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bark — to shout

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