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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · perch · bear · cold · deal · bark · kick · wax

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cue — a signal
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bear — the animal
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kick — in football
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cold — an illness
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cold — the Cold War

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