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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 120 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pound — a weight
  13. shower — rain
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fine — high quality
  20. shower — to wash
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wax — to grow
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bark — to shout

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