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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 · arm · kick · pass · wax · bore · leaves · bass

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pass — a permit
  19. kick — in football
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bass — low music
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bore — to drill

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