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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 120 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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 — in biology
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cell — a phone
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. saw — the tool
  21. shower — rain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  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