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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bark — to shout
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. staff — employees
  6. bat — the animal
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. staff — employees
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. race — humankind
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. drill — army training
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. race — a contest
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. wax — to grow

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