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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wax — to grow
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rest — a break
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bark — to shout
  13. object — to protest
  14. club — for dancing
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. date — the fruit
  18. club — for golf
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rest — what's left
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. object — an aim
  24. club — a group

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