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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cue — a signal
  4. object — an aim
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. object — a thing
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wound — an injury
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cue — for pool
  22. object — to protest
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bark — to shout

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