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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pop — soda
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pop — music
  7. present — there
  8. lie — to recline
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. present — the time now
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. present — a gift

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