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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cell — a phone
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. club — a group
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fine — all right
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cell — in biology
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. club — for golf
  23. bark — to shout
  24. hide — to keep secret

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