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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. charge — in control
  3. bark — to shout
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fall — the season
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. charge — a price
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. charge — electricity
  15. kid — to tease
  16. game — a match
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. tube — a container
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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