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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. last — final
  3. key — for a lock
  4. last — finally
  5. wax — to grow
  6. last — to go on
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. row — a line
  13. scale — size or range
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — to fit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. key — the most important part
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. key — in music

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