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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. clip — a video
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bark — to shout
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. clip — for paper
  11. toast — bread
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. content — the amount
  15. clip — to cut
  16. content — happy
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wax — to grow
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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