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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pass — a permit
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. fall — the season
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wax — to grow
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fall — to drop
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. nail — for a hammer

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