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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pop — soda
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pop — music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rest — a break
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cell — in biology
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ball — a dance
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mine — an explosive

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