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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. date — the fruit
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. march — music
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. march — the month
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bass — the fish
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bass — low music
  19. march — the month
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. file — a tool
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. file — a document
  24. wax — to grow

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