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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cell — a phone
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wax — to grow
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cell — in biology
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. can — to be able to
  12. lean — thin
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. can — a tin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. can — a tin

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