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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wax — to grow
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pound — to hit hard

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