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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. can — a tin
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cue — a signal
  5. present — a gift
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. present — there
  17. lie — to recline
  18. can — a tin
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. present — the time now
  24. bat — in an idiom

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