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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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Word bank
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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: bark · wound · leaves · club · wax · deal · straw · perch

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wound — an injury
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wax — to grow
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. club — for golf
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bark — to shout
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. perch — the fish
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. deal — an agreement

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