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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: bark · lie · pop · wax · hide · pound · chest · sharp

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pop — music
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pound — a weight
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wax — to grow
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. chest — a box
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pound — to hit hard

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