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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cap — a hat
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. lie — to recline
  8. roll — a list
  9. bound — tied together
  10. land — a country
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bark — to shout
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. cap — a lid
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. land — ground
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cap — of ice
  23. land — to come down
  24. bark — of a tree

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