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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. last — final
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. suit — clothes
  7. roll — a cake
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bound — certain
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bound — obliged
  14. charge — in control
  15. bark — to shout
  16. charge — a price
  17. roll — a list
  18. suit — to fit
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. last — to go on
  21. suit — in cards
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. bound — tied together
  24. last — finally

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