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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. band — a music group
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. hand — in cards
  6. present — the time now
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. present — a gift
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rash — hasty
  11. face — to confront
  12. rash — a series
  13. present — there
  14. wax — to grow
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. hand — help
  20. band — a ring
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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