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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: cell · calf · chair · wax · face · bear · plane · bark

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. plane — a tool
  7. face — to confront
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. chair — a leader
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wax — to grow
  24. face — part of the head

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