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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. content — happy
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. ball — a great time
  11. drill — a practice
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wax — to grow
  16. content — the amount
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. drill — the tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bark — to shout
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. drill — army training

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