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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. foot — a measure
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. season — of the year
  10. tear — from crying
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. season — in sport
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. tear — to rip
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wax — to grow
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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