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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. present — there
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wax — to grow
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. game — wild animals
  16. toast — bread
  17. present — a gift
  18. game — a match
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. present — the time now
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. game — a kind of play
  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