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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · wax · stem · wind · file · mouse · season · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. file — a document
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. lean — thin
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stem — to come from
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. file — a tool
  19. season — of the year
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mouse — for a computer

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