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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. track — a path
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wind — moving air
  14. field — for sport
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — a subject
  19. kick — in football
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. lie — to recline
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — farmland
  24. wax — for sculpting

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