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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. last — to go on
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. staff — employees
  14. last — finally
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bore — to tire
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — clothes
  21. staff — employees
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. last — final
  24. staff — a stick

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