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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. last — finally
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. staff — employees
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. clip — to cut
  7. staff — a stick
  8. race — the arms race
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. last — final
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. last — to go on
  15. race — humankind
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. race — a contest
  19. bark — to shout
  20. staff — employees
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wax — to grow
  24. clip — a video

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