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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. squash — the sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — the month
  8. can — a tin
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. march — music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cap — of ice
  15. can — to be able to
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. hand — help
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cap — a hat

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