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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. chest — of your body
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. chest — a box
  11. foot — a measure
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pass — a permit
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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