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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rash — a series
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. ground — a position
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. date — the fruit
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. fall — the season
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rash — hasty
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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