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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chair — a leader
  4. staff — employees
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wax — to grow
  7. can — to be able to
  8. staff — a stick
  9. can — a tin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. staff — employees
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. can — a tin
  21. fall — the season
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. chair — a professorship

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