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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. cell — a phone
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. charge — in control
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. charge — a price
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. march — the month
  13. charge — electricity
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kick — in football
  18. bark — to shout
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. cell — in biology
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wax — in the ear
  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