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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wax — to grow
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. last — final
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. season — in sport
  17. last — to go on
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rock — music
  22. last — finally
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rock — a stone

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