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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. kid — child
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bark — to shout
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. charge — in control
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rock — music
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. charge — a price
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bear — the animal

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