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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. staff — employees
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wake — a trail
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. staff — employees
  20. wax — to grow
  21. race — humankind
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. land — a country
  24. calf — a young animal

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