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

Word bank: race · mate · suit · cabinet · wax · bark · chest · fall

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wax — to grow
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. race — humankind
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. suit — in cards
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. race — a contest
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. race — the arms race
  19. chest — of your body
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fall — the season
  23. mate — a friend
  24. suit — to fit

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