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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. hand — help
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. track — a path
  16. court — for sport
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wax — to grow
  19. track — a song
  20. court — of law
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — of a king

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