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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wax — to grow
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kick — in football
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. capital — a city
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. capital — money
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fine — all right

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