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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stem — to come from
  8. board — a committee
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. board — to get on
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bat — the animal
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wax — for sculpting

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