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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. net — for catching
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. net — in sport
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. net — after costs
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bark — to shout
  24. hide — animal skin

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