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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wound — an injury
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bound — certain
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. band — a ring
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bound — obliged
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. band — a music group

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