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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — shares
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stock — goods
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. tube — a container
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. arm — a part of something

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