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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rule — government
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bound — certain
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bark — to shout
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. fall — the season
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. fall — to drop
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rule — a law
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. stem — of a plant

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