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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. object — to protest
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. content — the amount
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — to grow
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. object — an aim
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. content — happy
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. object — a thing
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. trunk — of a tree

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