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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. scale — in music
  5. wax — to grow
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. roll — a cake
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. roll — a list
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bark — to shout
  17. court — of law
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. band — a music group
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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