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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.

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: firm · dip · leaves · wax · bark · bowl · cold · march

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. march — the month
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. march — the month
  14. firm — a company
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cold — not warm
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bark — to shout
  19. march — music
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — steady
  24. cold — an illness

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