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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bark — to shout
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. court — of a king
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. branch — a division
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. court — for sport
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. kick — in football
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. court — of law
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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