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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 124 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 · can · bat · game · wax · rest · leaves · jam

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rest — what's left
  5. can — a tin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wax — to grow
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rest — a break
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. can — to be able to
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. game — a kind of play

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