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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. can — to be able to
  3. board — a committee
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bark — to shout
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. last — finally
  12. wind — moving air
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. board — to get on
  15. snap — to click
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. last — to go on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. last — final
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wax — in the ear

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