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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wax — to grow
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. kid — child
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. tube — the underground
  11. march — the month
  12. tube — a container
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. march — music
  17. kid — to tease
  18. march — the month
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bark — to shout
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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