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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fall — the season
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fall — to drop
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. clip — to cut
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. clip — a video
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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