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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. cap — a hat
  5. season — in sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. drill — the tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cap — of ice
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mug — to rob
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mug — a face
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. season — of the year
  24. drill — army training

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