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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mug — a cup
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wind — moving air
  9. press — newspapers
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. content — the amount
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mug — a face
  16. bark — to shout
  17. press — to push
  18. wax — to grow
  19. content — happy
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mug — to rob

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