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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. clip — a video
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mine — for digging
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. clip — to cut
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wax — to grow
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pitch — completely

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