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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rule — a law
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wind — moving air
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rule — government
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. foot — a measure
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wax — to grow
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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