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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wax — to grow
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. can — a tin
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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