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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bound — obliged
  6. chest — a box
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lean — thin
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bound — certain
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wax — to grow
  23. date — the fruit
  24. chest — of your body

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