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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mug — a cup
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. can — a tin
  10. fork — in a road
  11. hand — help
  12. can — a tin
  13. wax — to grow
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mug — a face
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fine — all right
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bark — to shout

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