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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. face — to point toward
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. face — to confront
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bark — to shout
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. face — part of the head
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wax — in the ear

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