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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. press — to push
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. press — newspapers
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wax — to grow
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cabinet — ministers

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