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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: bark · swing · wax · rest · pass · cabinet · tube · kid

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. kid — child
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rest — a break
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. swing — in golf
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pass — a permit
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pass — to spend time

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