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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. ball — a great time
  3. drill — army training
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wax — to grow
  20. drill — the tool
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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