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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rule — a law
  8. file — a tool
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. file — a line of people
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. file — a document
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rule — government
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bark — to shout
  24. rule — to rule out

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