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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. spring — a coil
  6. present — there
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. vault — a safe
  9. suit — in cards
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. suit — clothes
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. suit — to fit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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