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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bark — to shout
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. capital — a city
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — money
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wax — to grow
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lie — to recline

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