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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. can — to be able to
  6. band — a ring
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. race — humankind
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. band — a music group
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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