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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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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: cue · track · lean · spell · season · bark · trunk · wax

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bark — to shout
  3. track — a song
  4. lean — to bend
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. lean — thin
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. track — a path
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. spell — letters
  19. wax — to grow
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wax — in the ear

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