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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bore — to drill
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. face — to confront
  14. mine — for digging
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. face — to point toward
  21. club — for golf
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stem — a stem cell

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