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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pit — a hole
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bark — to shout
  9. spell — a short time
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bound — certain
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. shower — rain
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spell — letters
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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