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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 116 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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. march — music
  7. season — of the year
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bark — to shout
  10. season — in sport
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. march — the month
  16. wax — to grow
  17. march — the month
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — for digging
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mine — an explosive

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