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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.

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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: pass · hide · racket · tear · wax · stand · cell · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cell — a phone
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wax — to grow
  9. stand — to bear
  10. tear — to rip
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pass — a permit
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. tear — from crying
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cell — in biology

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