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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's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bark — to shout
  5. club — for golf
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. prune — to trim
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. club — for dancing
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. staff — employees
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. club — a group
  24. mark — a trace

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